Alpha Cable Lock-5                                                                                                                                WC Blog 112
Prevent  Shoplifting-4
Carry-On Luggage Shouldn’t Be Carried Out By Thieves – Alpha Cable Locks Can Curtail Theft
     I have worked in retail a long time, almost 20 years in big box stores as a Loss Prevention Associate and Manager and a year and a half as a Logistics Manager.  I have also worked over 5 years in a small box office supply store as a sales associate.  During these years I have observed the theft of all sorts of merchandise but there is one department in which it can be particularly difficult to prevent shoplifting.  Luggage, purses and backpacks can be a real headache from a security standpoint.  Why do they pose more of a problem than any other item?  Because these are items that people carry with them every day.  Obviously purses and tote bags are observed daily, but it is not unusual to see people wearing backpacks into a store.   The problem is that it becomes difficult to determine who walked in with the luggage and who didn’t.  Is that rolling luggage carrier the store’s or did they come in with it?  An easy way you as a store owner or manager can address this issue is to use an Alpha Cable Lock on your luggage and hand bags.
      Alpha Cable Lock retail anti-theft devices can be secured around the handle of a briefcase or around a strap or carrying handle of a backpack or carrying tote.  Rolling travel cases with the extending handles are also a prime candidate for being secured with a lock. The device is designed to work with electronic article surveillance systems.  If a shoplifter attempts to walk through an electronic article surveillance antenna with a piece of luggage or bag protected with a cable lock, a loud alarm built in the antenna will sound.  The locks also have tamper alarms built in that will alarm if an attempt is made to cut them.  Store employees responding to an alarm can prevent shoplifting of the protected item.  Being highly visible, it is easy for store associates to tell whether the item being carried around is store owned or was carried in by the customer. 
     Working in an office supply store, I can confirm that there are some fairly expensive pieces of luggage we carry.  Several of the rolling storage bags are well over $100.00 each and in the time I have worked at this store, there have been several suspected thefts of these bags. The only protection the store has for the luggage items are the electronic article surveillance vendor source soft tags.  The problem with this as a means to prevent shoplifting is that the bad guys remove all the tags and check the compartments before they walk out.  With the removal of the soft tag the protection is gone and no alarm sounds.  Often the criminals wait until a busy time of day to slip out with stolen merchandise.  While the soft tag is a great anti-theft tool for many items, it is not the best option for this line of product. An Alpha Cable Lock would be nearly impossible for the thief to remove from the luggage and would be the best solution.
     Another item that can be pricey and easy to steal in a store like ours is a computer laptop bag.  Patrons are regularly bringing in personal laptops for servicing and so they carry their computers into the building, often with no bag or case.  A quick stop by our laptop carrying cases and it would be easy to slip a personal laptop into a bag and remove the manufacturer tags, then continue walking around the store until ready to leave.  An Alpha Cable Lock around a carrying handle would prevent a shoplifter from being able to pass through the electronic article surveillance antenna without detection.
    Don’t allow thieves to carry out your carry- on luggage.  Prevent shoplifting by using an Alpha Cable Lock on the bags and luggage you sell in your store.  You will watch instocks improve and profits rise!
Get more information on Alpha Cable Lock.  Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.
     
     

I have worked in retail a long time, almost 20 years in big box stores as a Loss Prevention Associate and Manager and a year and a half as a Logistics Manager. I have also worked over 5 years in a small box office supply store as a sales associate. During these years I have observed the theft of all sorts of merchandise but there is one department in which it can be particularly difficult to prevent shoplifting. Luggage, purses and backpacks can be a real headache from a security standpoint. Why do they pose more of a problem than any other item? Because these are items that people carry with them every day. Obviously purses and tote bags are observed daily, but it is not unusual to see people wearing backpacks into a store.   The problem with that is it becomes difficult to determine who walked in with the luggage and who didn’t. Is that rolling luggage carrier the store’s or did they come in with it? An easy way you as a store owner or manager can address this issue is to use an Alpha Cable Lock on your luggage and hand bags.

Alpha Cable Lock retail anti-theft devices can be secured around the handle of a briefcase or around a strap or carrying handle of a backpack or carrying tote. Rolling travel cases with the extending handles are also a prime candidate for being secured with a lock. The device is designed to work with electronic article surveillance systems. If a shoplifter attempts to walk through an electronic article surveillance antenna with a piece of luggage or bag protected with a cable lock, a loud alarm built in the antenna will sound. The locks also have tamper alarms built in that will alarm if an attempt is made to cut them. Store employees responding to an alarm can prevent shoplifting of the protected item. Being highly visible, it is easy for store associates to tell whether the item being carried around is store owned or was carried in by the customer. 

Working in an office supply store, I can confirm that there are some fairly expensive pieces of luggage we carry. Several of the rolling storage bags are well over $100.00 each and in the time I have worked at this store, there have been several suspected thefts of these bags. The only protection the store has for the luggage items are the electronic article surveillance vendor source soft tags. The problem with this as a means to prevent shoplifting is that the bad guys remove all the tags and check the compartments before they walk out. With the removal of the soft tag the protection is gone and no alarm sounds. Often the criminals wait until a busy time of day to slip out with stolen merchandise. While the soft tag is a great anti-theft tool for many items, it is not the best option for this line of product. An Alpha Cable Lock would be nearly impossible for the thief to remove from the luggage and would be the best solution.

Another item that can be pricey and easy to steal in a store like ours is a computer laptop bag. Patrons are regularly bringing in personal laptops for servicing and so they carry their computers into the building, often with no bag or case. A quick stop by our laptop carrying cases and it would be easy to slip a personal laptop into a bag and remove the manufacturer tags, then continue walking around the store until ready to leave. An Alpha Cable Lock around a carrying handle would prevent a shoplifter from being able to pass through the electronic article surveillance antenna without detection.

Don’t allow thieves to carry out your carry- on luggage. Prevent shoplifting by using an Alpha Cable Lock on the bags and luggage you sell in your store. You will watch instocks improve and profits rise!

 

Get more information on Alpha Cable Lock.  Contact us or call 1.770.426.0547 today.